Jaw, eye socket broken protecting TV from theft

MANSFIELD – A 49-year-old woman faces surgery after a struggle in her home Tuesday when a man, still at large, tried to steal a 42-inch TV from her home in the 500 block of Sloane Avenue.

The woman suffered two fractured jaw bones and a fractured eye socket. The latter will require surgery, she said.

The News Journal is not naming the victim, who was treated at OhioHealth MedCentral/Mansfield Hospital on Tuesday.

Her 14-year-old son suffered a black eye after trying to fight off the intruder, according to his mother.

The suspect is believed to have entered the home about 4:50 a.m. through an open window on the west side of the house, according to police.

The woman, after hearing a noise, said she went to investigate and found a man inside the residence trying to carry her TV out the rear door. She attempted to stop the man, and he punched her multiple times in the face and knocked her to the ground, she said.

Her son, upon hearing the commotion, grabbed a board and struck the suspect in the head before the man turned on him and hit him in the face, according to police.

The suspect fled through the front door. She said the suspect dropped his cellphone and returned to the house to retrieve it. Upon finding the door locked, he kicked it open and once again assaulted her, she said.